


Alone Together

by EverythinggStayss



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Apologies, Character Study, F/M, Forgiveness, Growing, Healing, Healthy, Introspection, No Romance, Not necessarily getting back together, Pepper and Tony finally talk, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Spider-Man Homecoming, Talking, character anylasis, just a little peace, just reaching an understanding, maybe getting back together, okay well pepper talks, relationships, remembering, talking it out, tony listens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 16:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14085471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverythinggStayss/pseuds/EverythinggStayss
Summary: Finally she breaks the silence, her voice slow and soft.OrPepper and Tony talk.





	Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Just a little something about Tony and Pepper's relationship.

The room is dark, their faces illuminated by the city lights outside the window. He's sitting next to her, close without touching. It's quiet.

Finally she breaks the silence, her voice slow and soft.

"Before I first started working for you, I had been struggling to keep my desk job in the lower levels of Stark Industries. I was ambitious and competitive but I knew I'd never have the chance to get any real promotions,"

He knows this. He doesn't interject.

"Getting the job as your assistant was such a good opportunity. I knew it would open doors and I could finally start moving up."

He met her decades ago, when a young woman with a cheap suit and a fiery temper made a scene in front of his bodyguards.

_"I need to speak to Mr. Stark! It's important and-"_

_A bodyguard tried to push her aside, "Miss-"_

_"Potts."_

_"Miss Potts, we're gonna have to ask you to leave."_

_"This is urgent. Get me a minute with him. I will go over your heads, don't think I won't! I will call your superiors and your company and your mothers if I have to. I need an audience with Mr. Stark!"_

_She got the audience an hour later._

_When she had went to file the tax forms for a few minor charges, she spotted what three teams of business professionals couldn't catch: a small discrepancy that was losing the company millions a day._

_When her manager refused to listen to her, she fought her way up the corporate ladder and went to the CEO himself._

_She got a promotion the next day._

"You're not a very easy person to work for, you know. All the PAs before me had quit in the first week. But I was stubborn, and I wasn't about to miss any chance. And time passed, and people started asking when I'd be promoted again. I wanted the job to get more opportunities, but I never took them. You are difficult to work for, but I could do it, and you needed me... and I needed you," she says, her voice tapering to a whisper.

"I didn't love you then. You were my boss. I wasn't bothered by the drinks or the bombs or the sex. We were purely professional," she pauses, "then Afghanistan happened."

"I was in Malibu. I went to the airport to wait for you, two hours later than the schedule because I know you're always late,"

"When you didn't come back I tried to reach Rhodey. I couldn't reach him for days and when I finally could, he says your humvee had been attacked and soldiers were dead and you were gone,"

"What was I supposed to do?? Rhodey had pulled every string in the military he had, I was calling every single number in the Stark Industries database, seeing if anyone could contribute anything."

"Jarvis had shifted every single one of his servers to tracking you. God, Tony, we were so worried. We tried everything and you were still missing!" Her voice is breaking now, still quiet but desperate.

"You were gone for three months. People told us to stop looking for you and start looking for a body. I was losing my mind. Everything went on hold when you went missing."

"I'm sorry," he breathes out.

"No. No no no. That wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself for that. Please."

It's quiet again, and she whispers, "I was just so happy to have you back. I though things could finally go back to normal. I thought I could stop worrying," she laughs bitterly, "I was wrong."

"When you came back, you weren't the same. You were bold as always, but in a new way. People act differently when they know what it's like to be dying."

He knows what it feels like to die. He knows the strange fear that comes with looking at the other end of your own weapons. He knows what it's like to have his chest cut apart and his bones sawed away. He knows what it feels like to die slowly too, by the heavy, heavy piece of metal lodged inside him, poison in his heart being the only thing saving him. He knows what it's like to feel your meaningless life flash behind your eyes as you watch things no one should ever see. He knows dying on the inside, feeling your own mind twist itself apart and that sinking, painful weight that doesn't go away.

"When you came back, you held yourself responsible, careful with everything but yourself. With yourself you were so reckless,"

He's staring at the lights but not seeing them. He can feel her watching him.

"I was terrified of losing you again."

He closes his eyes.

"Tony,"

She places her hand on his shoulder. A muscle he didn't realize was tense relaxes.

"I let my fear of being alone control me. I've never been very good at life-and-death situations, and I'm sorry I let that come between us,"

"I don't think I've ever said it but, I'm proud of you. I'm so, so proud of you, all of you. Everything you are and everything you do. I don't know how much that's worth now, but-"

He hugs her.

She hugs him back.

It's nice.

 

__________

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are nice, too.


End file.
